Saurabh Tiwary announces retirement from professional cricket: 'Right time to vacate a spot for a youngster'

34-year-old Jharkhand batter Saurabh Tiwary announced his retirement from professional cricket on Monday, February 12. Tiwary said he would hang up his boots after Jharahand's final Ranji Trophy match of the season in Jamshedpur, starting February 15.

Saurabh Tiwary played four matches in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season for Jharkhand and scored a 114 not out against Manipur in Jamshedpur earlier in February. Against Haryana, in his most recent outing, Saurabh managed scores of 23 and 3. When Saurabh Tiwary hangs up his boots next week, it will be the end of a nearly 17-year-old competitive career as he made his senior debut as early as 2006.

Saurabh Tiwary, who was a key member of the U19 World Cup winning team in 2008 under Virat Kohli, earned attraction for MS Dhoni-like long hair and big-hitting skills. Saurabh played 3 ODIs for India in 2010 after making his debut against Australia in Visakhapatnam. The left-hander was not able to seal a spot for himself in the Indian limited-overs side despite his highly-rated white-ball skills.

Saurabh Tiwary, who was MS Dhoni's former teammate in the state team, said the decision to retire was not a knee-jerk reaction, but a carefully thought-out call in a bid to give up his spot for a youngster in the state team.

"It's a little tough to bid farewell to this journey that I had started before my schooling," Saurabh Tiwary said in a press conference, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

"But I'm also sure that this is the right time for this. I feel that if you're not in the national team and IPL, it's better to vacate a spot in the state side for a youngster. Youngsters are getting a lot of chances in our Test team so I'm making this decision.

"It's not like I've decided this only on the basis of my performances. You can see my record in Ranji and in the last domestic season. It's always asked what I'm going to do next and for now I only know that cricket is the only thing I know so I'm going to be connected to the game," he added, saying he even got an offer to join politics.

IPL JOURNEYMAN

In the IPL, Saurabh Tiwary made his debut in the 2008 season and has since been a consistent presence in the league. He played in 93 matches and amassed 1494 runs at an average of 28.73. Saurabh Tiwary began his career with Mumbai Indians and returned to the franchise first in 2017 and then again in 2020 and 2021, which was also his last season in the T20 league. Saurabh also played for 2 years for Royal Challengers Bangalore before he joined Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in 2014. Saurabh also played for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016 under MS Dhoni's captaincy.

Saurabh Tiwary has been a consistent run-getter in domestic cricket. His first-class record boasts of 115 matches and a substantial 8030 runs, reflecting his longevity and consistency in the longer format of the game. Additionally, in List A cricket, he has played 116 matches and scored 4050 runs, further cementing his reputation as a reliable batsman.